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Facebook connects generations
(by Dave Lange - April 27, 2013)
Facebook connects generations
Don’t like to think of myself as “an old fuddy-duddy” but rather an old-fashioned kind of gal. That means there are no granite countertops in my kitchen or stainless-steel appliances, and my cellphone just sends and receives calls. It can do more, but why invite stress and failure?
It surprises even me to admit I love Facebook. The social network I once scoffed I now embrace. Joined Facebook to stalk my two teenage grandchildren, find out what they were doing and thinking.
What I found was chatter which was incomprehensible. That meant Googling the music personalities they talk about and the characters in the books they are in love with. Armed with this new, although scant, knowledge, I am able to offer my thoughts on their world. This also lets them know just how hip to their jive grandma really is.
Of course, just saying the words “hip to their jive” pretty much confirms for them how out of touch Grandma actually is. Never mind.
Facebook opens each day by asking a common question: “What are you doing this weekend?” or “What’s on your mind?” These are designed to get the conversation going. It’s hardly needed. People blather on about this and that without prompting.
They say what comes to mind, post pictures of their families, jokes, political statements and, for reasons I do not understand, photos of their food. Plates of food they are about to consume. It’s an odd Facebook phenomenon, but then Facebook itself is an oddly compelling stream of consciousness.
Must say I am proud of the crowd of Facebookers who agreed to be my friends. There are longtime real friends and family and some folks I don’t see often. Some I have never met. These are the extended Facebook family, which includes the Facebook friends of your Facebook friends. And on it goes.
Everyone brings his or her own thing to the party. There is the woman who proselytizes the wonders of a plant-based diet. Another likes to discuss the meaning of Bible passages, while the guy who may post below her on any given day is an unapologetic atheist.
Another Facebooker is into Eastern philosophies and shares quick bits of that wisdom which read like a fortune cookie. Along the same lines is the person who offers daily affirmations, which, when they do not read like bumper stickers, have a certain Stuart Smalley quality about them.
My friends on Facebook also include a vociferous feminist, moms of young kids and artists who often post pictures of their new work.
There are folks from every part of society celebrating events, venting their spleens, showing their vacation pictures and discussing their illnesses.
If you are already a Facebooker, there is no need to tell you all of this. It should be familiar to you. This was written for my fellow fuddy-duddies who have dismissed Facebook as something for just the young folks. To them I say, what can you lose? Friend some folks. Sit back and see what happens. You may find it entertaining.
Yes, the conversation is often banal, and the pictures of plates of food are baffling, but Facebook has its charms, and you get to see what the grandkids are up to.
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